Hundreds brave Chesapeake Bay waters for annual swim

Competitors swim 4.4-miles despite water advisory due to rains

Athletes from all over the world hopped into the Chesapeake Bay on Sunday, coming out in droves for charity and competition despite a weekend swimming advisory.

About 650 competitors from all over the U.S. hit the Chesapeake Bay for the annual Great Chesapeake Swim, a 4.4-mile swim billed as the country's premier open water distance swim. From Sandy Point State Park, they travel between the spans of the Bay Bridge and finish near the Bay Bridge Marina on the Eastern Shore.

"I'm tired, exhausted. That last mile was tough, but it feels good," he told 11 News.

"There were nice, flat conditions. The water seemed clean to me -- no debris or chop, just a little bit of swell in the main channel. It was great. A good swim," said competitor Brian Benda.

Race officials said about 35 swimmers who had pre-registered did not show up, perhaps because of the no-swimming advisory issued Friday from the Anne Arundel County Health Department. Elevated bacteria levels caused by heavy rain led to the weekend advisory.

"Every person who showed up today knowing the water quality advisory was out, I certainly gave them the option -- if they chose to do so -- not to swim, but nobody did anything but get in the water and challenge themselves and have a great day," said race director Chuck Nabit.

The event raises money for the March of Dimes and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a swim whose youngest participant was 10 and whose oldest was 81.

"My grandma, my mom and my sister have always done it, so now that I'm old enough, I wanted to do it," said young swimmer Amalie Bauman.

"It just about brings me to tears to see all these people and the volunteers involved and to raise all the money for the March of Dimes and the Chesapeake Bay Trust. It's an honor to swim the Chesapeake," said competitor Brian Earley.

The Bay Bridge was closed to boat traffic during the swim, which is a U.S. Coast Guard sanctioned event.

Copyright 2013 byWBALTV.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.